Fruit-drying apparatus.



G. D. PARKER.

FRUIT DRYING APPARATUS.

urmoyrmn FILED AUG. 2, 1910.

Patented June 13, 1911.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE D. PARKER, OF RIVERSIDE, CALIFORNIA.

FRUIT-DRYING APPARATUS.

Application filed August 2, 1910.

T 0 all whom it ma?! concern:

Be it known that I, Gnonen D. PARKER, citizen of the United States, residing at Riverside, in the county of Riverside and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fruit-Drying Apparatus, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing.

This invention relates to apparatus for drying the surface of fruit, usually after washing, before packing the same for shipment, it being highly desirable that the surfaces of oranges, for example should be thoroughly dry before they are packed.

\Vith certain drying apparatus heretofore used, a small body of water is likely to accumulate at the point where the orange is supported, and such a body of water is not readily evaporated within the brief time usually allotted.

The object of this invention is to avoid this and other difficulties and to dry fruit perfectly, certainly, and under all ordinary conditions with great rapidity. With this object in View, the fruit from a washing apparatus is advanced by an absorbent conveyer belt from which the water is squeezed as it passes a certain point delivered to a second absorbent belt which carries it through a chamber wherein it is subjected to the action of drying air and is at intervals rolled from one part of the absorbent belt to another thereby exposing all parts of its surface and all parts of the belts surface to the action of the air.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side sectional elevation of the principal parts of my apparatus. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same devices, the upper part of an inolosing casing being cut away. -Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail sectional view of parts seen also in Fig. 1.

In these figures, A represents a suitable casing forming the walls of a drying chamber, and A an additional casing inclosing devices for bringing fruit from a washing apparatus not shown.

Fruit from the washing apparatus is carried into the drying chamber through an opening A by an absorbent belt B from which the water is squeezed by a roller 0 co-acting with the drum B: around which the belt passes. Within the drying chamberisa preferably upwardly inclined car- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 13, 1911.

Serial No. 575,103.

rier belt I) mounted upon sprocket wheels E, E and made up of two like, parallel sprocket chains D connected at equal short intervals by parallel crossbars D This belt is encircled by a slack, flexible absorbent belt F of somewhat greater length passing around the sprocket wheels E outside the belt D but at the other end passing around an independent drum F. The upper fold of the flexible belt rests upon the upper fold of the belt D and preferably extends from side to side of the casing, which like the belt D may be of any desired width. At intervals between the sprocket wheels E, E are mounted revoluble drums or wheels G each having longitudinal teeth or wings G which project between the crossbars of the belt D and extend above the lane of the same when the tooth is direciily above its axis of rotation, as shown in Fig. 3. Drying air is constantly forced into the chamber by means of a fan H.

Fruit advanced by the belt B passes over a bridge I to the belt F which under its weight sags between the crossbars of the underlying belt D, so that the fruit lies in one or another of a series of transverse troughlike depressions. Water which flows to the lower side of the fruit is largely absorbed by the belt, while the moisture and dampness upon the other parts of the fruit is evap0 rated by the air blast, which, however, ob-

yiously cannot dry the fruit surfaces in con' tact with the belt. When one of the wheels G is reached, the teeth Gr push upward the bottom of the trough in which the fruit lies and roll the latter from this part of the belt, exposing to the air the damp surface of the fruit and the damp portion of the belt. This is repeated as often as may be desired, although but two wheels G are shown. That portion of the belt F extending beyond the belt D is supported by a bridge J and from this portion the fruit passes to an inclined or other conveyer and thence from the apparatus. Usually the fan and sprocket wheel shaft below it are driven by belts, as is also the belt B. Usually the drum F is not positively driven, and no means for drying or heating the air has been shown, such expedients involving, generally, no novelty.

What I claim is:

1. In apparatus of the class described, the combination with an absorbent fruit-supp orting conveyer adapted to make contact;

with each orange or the like, at its lowest point, of means tor rolling the fruit from place to place upon the conveyer during its advance.

2. In apparatus of the class described, the combination with a flexible conveyer belt, of a traveling'belt support adapted to permit the downward sagging of the belt at intervals by the weight of the fruit thereon, and means for periodically elevating the sagged portions to roll the fruit from the same.

3. The combination with a casing and means for creating an air current therein, of an endless belt within the casing adapted to absorb liquid by contact with the lowest points of the rolling fruit, means for delivering fruit upon the belt and for receiving fruit therefrom at another point, and means for rolling the fruit from place to place upon the belt.

4. The combination with a racklike endless belt, of a flexible absorbent belt having one fold resting upon the fold of the belt first mentioned, means for delivering fruit to be dried upon the second belt, means for periodically rolling the fruit from placeto place upon the second belt, and means for creating an air current over the fruit while upon the belt.

5. The= 'combination with a casing and means for driving air through the same, duplicate pairs of sprocket Wheels within the casing, an endless belt carried by said sprocket Wheels and comprising parallel chains'connected at short intervals by crossbars, a second, loose, flexible, absorbent belt enveloping the belt first mentioned, toothed drums at intervals engaging the upper fold of the first mentioned belt and adapted to project through the same, lifting the absorbent belt, temporarily, therefrom.

6. The combination an absorbent conveyer belt, of a casing inclosing the same, means for creating an air current through the casing, a second absorbent belt arranged to deliver fruit upon the first, and means for pressing water from the second belt at one point.

In testimony whereof I atfix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE D. PARKER.

Witnesses:

FRED A. MANSFIELD, J. L. SIFFoRD.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

